Arts & Media Briefly

Poland Holds International Fine Arts Competition

The 8th International Biennial Exposition of Fine Arts by Disabled Persons is taking place in late 2004 in Cracow. In the last biennial, 660 artists from 13 countries entered works. Details on the web or via email: yennefer@ifb.com.pl

Finland Invites Entries for Disability Film Festival

Finland has issued a call for entries for its 5th International Disability Film Festival, KynnysKINO5, to be held in the summer of 2005. The theme is "All Aspects of Traveling," and the organizers are looking for short films made by or in partnership with disabled persons. Deadline for entries: January 17, 2005. Details on the web: www.kynnyskino.info/english

Thalidomide! A Musical Opens in London

Mat Fraser, a British film actor and producer, has written his first play and it's a sell-out in London. "Thalidomide! A Musical" was the author's response to learning a bit too much about how corporate greed had contributed to international sales of the drug and resistance to taking responsibility for the aftermath. He commented, "I learned so much about the drug that it brought me down a bit, just the endless examples of corporate greed. The best way to get a message across if you are angry is to write a comedy...and I had always wanted to write a musical."

The play opened October 1 in London. Fraser has also produced some successful documentaries, such as "Born Freak," a history of disabled sideshow performers. Details about the play: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3706772.stm

 printer-friendly format